Development Review

Proposed Board of Zoning Appeals Amendments

Proposed text amendments are now in process to revise that portion of the Lincoln Municipal Code (Chapter 27.75) and the Lancaster County Zoning Resolution (Article 19) which relate to the Lincoln Board of Zoning Appeals and Lancaster County Board of Zoning Appeals. In general, the amendments include two groups of changes. The first group includes provisions to allow applications to be submitted directly to the Planning Department without first having to have a building permit denied.

The other group of changes is aimed at making Chapter 27.75 and Article 19 more consistent with the State Statutes which authorize and empower the Board of Zoning Appeals. In general, the authority granted to the Board of Zoning Appeals allows them to hear appeals, and to grant variances. This set of changes both make a distinction between appeals and variances, and establishes procedures appropriate to the different types of applications which come before the Boards. The intent of all the changes is to streamline the process and make it simpler for applicants to have their cases heard by the Board of Zoning Appeals.